observation includes preying on a Megachile bee and mating, male and bee have separate observations
12 Sep 2019.
Buckingham Springs, Bucks Co, PA.
Found on Juglans nigra.
Dozens of black, dessicated caterpillars at the tops of sedge and grass plants.
Some had what I think were little white fungi growing out of them, which is what this observation is for. Not sure if the fungus was just incidental or related to the caterpillars' behavior.
Microphotos are taken at 20x or 40x objective, through 10x eyepiece. I think the colorless tissue is fungus and the brownish is the insect substrate. Some photos show what I believe are ovoid spores. The last photo might be a different organism but I included it in case it was important
I looked through every species in this genus on Bugguide, and a photo of a female of the species looked very similar to what I observed. I am no expert on potter wasps and would love someone to correct or to confirm this ID.
@matthais22
Male
Near Big Slough on Auto trail. Little colony in open area, mostly grasses. Recently burned. Fleshy leaves. Looks like fruits forming. Larger clumps photographed are little over 2" diameter. Some individuals with one flower adjacent.